**Context**
I am interested in purchasing a fatbike to do my daily commute with in Montreal. I typically ride along the the *somewhat maintained* trails along the river. These typically have hard-packed snow but that is full of footprints and general mess. I am currently riding an old hardtail with studded tires and a rigid fork but I am getting vibrated numb. When deciding whether or not I am going to commute by bike, I need to think about whether the path has had enough time since the last snowfall to become ridable. Main goals are to exchange some performance with certainty that I will be able to ride and to increase comfort.
**Main requirements**
* Studded tires – Half of my commute will be riding in the city so I need studs. I know some tires are “studdable”. I think this takes around 4 hours of time per tire and maybe costs $40/tire.
* Lower-end spec – I will be doing a fair bit of *salty* city riding. So I will probably be rough on components. Lower end spec is probably better.
* Mounting points for racks & fenders. I will be riding with panniers and the biggest fenders that I can find.
**Bikes I am considering**
* [Garneau Gros Louis 2](https://www.cyclescampus.com/product/garneau-gros-louis-2-403614-1.htm)
* $1174 CAD
* Comes with studded tires 🙂
* Drive train is a `Microshift Advent X, w/clutch, 10-speed` which I am somewhat nervous of.
* Has clark hydraulic brakes but I cannot remember the model. Not listed on spec page.
* Has a dropper post that I would probably sell.
* [Rocky Mountain A10](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ca.bikes.com/collections/blizzard/products/blizzard-a10-22-23&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1706542558570596&usg=AOvVaw2sMnvNIyDThsIOuTdV28QP)
* $1119 CAD
* Will need to stud the tires myself or buy a set of studded tires.
* Mechanical disk brakes – I could get a better component set by moving to the A20 for $180 but not sure this is worth it. Need to think about it.
Both bikes have:
* 66 degree head tube angle. This is pretty agressive. I think I will like this but not completely sure.
* Standard sized hubs. 151mm x 155mm front and 12mm x 198mm rear.
**Questions & feedback requested**
Interested in any feedback. I think that the Rocky Mountain is a better branch of bike. The components look more predictable as well. Probably that is the right answer.
I have also looked at the [Norco Bigfoot 3](https://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/fat-bike/bigfoot/2022-bigfoot-3/). I think this is a less interesting option just because the components are a bit less nice and the headtube angle is steeper (interested in feedback here).
If anyone has studded a tire, I would be interested in an estimate of how long that took. 🙂
If there are other bikes I should be considering, I would be interested in that too.
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Cross-posted here: https://www.reddit.com/r/fatbike/comments/1adxkfh/budget_bike_to_buy_in_canada_in_2024_garneau_vs/?
by sixtyfootersdude